


It's Not Christmas if the Snow don't Fall

by blueabsinthe



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Christmas, Friendship, Loneliness, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-17
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 08:46:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/595780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueabsinthe/pseuds/blueabsinthe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris and Keith bond over Christmas, family, and being away from home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Not Christmas if the Snow don't Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Written last December as a gift fic for quenchmysoul on LJ. Posting for archiving purposes.

Three days to Christmas, and Keith Ballard was sitting in a coffee shop scrolling through his earlier conversation with Jamie. She was taking Ava to her parents for Christmas. Keith wanted to go with her, but he couldn't. The Canucks schedule really wasn't holiday friendly this year. Not that it had been in a while.

Keith tapped the calendar button on his phone, and thinned his lips as he went over the schedule, even though he knew it off by heart now. They had the game against Calgary on the 23rd, then the one against the Oilers on Boxing Day.

_Never a moment's rest,_ he thought, watching the streets of Vancouver shine due to the rainfall. According to the weather channels, Vancouver was due for a day of snow, but following that, rain. No snow. Just rain. And more rain. _Great,_ Keith thought. _Another rainy Christmas._

As loathe as he was to admit it, Keith actually missed the snow. To him, it just didn't seem like Christmas without at least catching a glimpse of the white flakes. He used to love Christmas back home in Minnesota. As a child, he loved waking up and running down the stairs to see all the presents under the tree. 

But, those days had long since passed. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts, and he turned his head to see who it was. He felt a small smile tugging the corners of his lips as he saw Chris Higgins standing next to him, paper coffee cup in hand. "Penny for your thoughts," he said with a smile.

"I'm wondering how bad it would be if I broke the radio, because if I have to hear one more version of _Do you Hear what I Hear_ I'm probably going to something drastic."

"Drastic, huh?"

"Yeah. Like, maybe investing in a really good set of earplugs."

"That's very Scrooge-like behaviour," Chris noted, his grin widening as he took the seat next to Keith. "No, honestly, Keith, what's got you in such a bad mood?"

Keith sighed, and waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing I want to bother you with, really." He sipped his coffee. "What are you doing for Christmas?"

Chris shrugged. "Well, I'm not going home. Max said he had something planned, but I'm not really holding him to that."

Keith eyed Chris' side profile, before he spoke. "If you weren't playing hockey, where would you be spending Christmas?"

"My parents place in Smithtown. The whole family would be there. It gets quite crowded. All my nieces, and nephews. Not to mention my four other sibilings." He shrugged, and blew on his cup, before he took a sip. "It's a tight fit … gets tighter every year. But, we manage."

"Sounds like fun."

Chris nodded. "I miss it y'know?" He turned his head to look at Keith's expression. "What about you? Jamie and Ava are in town, aren't they?"

Keith's expression changed then. His eyes darkened, and his small smile thinned considerably. "Jamie's going to her parents. She's taking Ava with her. So, it's just going to be me, and George."

Chris' brow furrowed, and he bit his bottom lip as he mulled over what Keith had just revealed. "Alone?"

Keith shrugged, and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not so bad. That's not to say I don't miss Christmas with my folks, or Jamie's, it's just that, after spending so much time on the road, it sort of … y'know …"

He had to turn his eyes away from the look Chris was currently giving him. It made his chest ache. 

"Keith, I …"

Keith shook his head. "Don't worry 'bout it. It's fine. Last year was the same sort of thing." He glanced down at his wrist, surprised at how late it actually was. He stood up, and pulled out his gloves. "It's getting late. I should get home."

Chris stared up at him, torn between making Keith stay so they could talk about missing Christmas with their families, and letting him leave. In the end, Chris opted for a subtle nod. 

"See you at the game," Keith said, before he made his way to the exit. 

Christmas Eve saw Keith at home. His conversation with Jamie and Ava finished, he opted to channel hop. The atmosphere around his apartment was quieter than usual, which he normally wouldn't mind. Now, it seemed to enhance the fact that he was alone. George was curled up in his dog bed. 

He heard his bell as it rang, and confusion etching his brow he got up to answer it. Honestly, who would be coming by on Christmas Eve?

Keith unlocked the door, and nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw who it was.

"Hey. Still don't have plans?" Chris asked, readjusting the bags he was carrying.

"Yes. I mean, no, I don't have plans," Keith said. "Come on in."

"Good," Chris said, a wide smile crossing his lips, "because these bags are getting heavy."

"Didn't you and Max have plans?" Keith asked, as he took one of the bags from Chris.

Chris shimmied his way out of his thick wool coat. "Tomorrow." He grinned as he noticed the tree by the window. "Real?"

Keith shook his head. "Not this year. I miss having a real tree though." He gestured to the bags. "What's in the bags?"

Chris made his way into the kitchen, set the bags down, and busied himself with unpacking everything. "Well, since the majority of restaurants are closed tonight, I decided to bring dinner to you. This" - here Chris gestured to the bags - "is Christmas Eve dinner."

Keith was speechless. He really was. Keith blinked a few times, before he finally managed to speak. "You didn't have to."

"No," Chris began, as he started unwrapping the contents in the bags. "But, I wanted to."

"But, why?"

Chris stopped what he was doing. "We're both away from family during the holidays. Besides, no-one should be alone at Christmas, Keith," he said in a voice that explained it all. 

Keith smiled, and curled an arm around Chris, hugging him to his side. "Thank you."

Chris grinned. "You're very welcome." He brushed a stray hair out of Keith's eyes. "Merry Christmas, Keith."

"Merry Christmas, Chris."


End file.
